The Gamecocks were coming in off a bye week hoping to get themselves back on track after two straight losses that all but has them on the outside looking in when it comes to the SEC East race.
South Carolina's offense got it going early behind quarterback Dylan Thompson and running back Mike Davis. Thompson cashed in on a pair of touchdown passes as he looked comfortable and confident throwing from the pocket. He connected on TD passes of 14 yards to Shaq Roland and 45 yards to Jerrell Adams. While Mike Davis rushed for 111 yards with two touchdowns as the Gamecocks ended a two game losing streak with a 41-10 victory over Furman.
Mike Davis went over 100 yards for the third straight game and fourth time this season. He wasn't the only one who had over 100 yards as backup running back David Williams looked very dominant going on to finish the game with 110 yards. South Carolina hasn't had two running backs with over a 100 yards in seven years.
Thompson finished 14 of 22 for 262 yards, his highest total yards in four games since passing for 271 yards in a 38-35 win over Georgia on Sept. 13.
Furman running back Hank McCloud had 106 yards rushing, including the only touchdown of the day as he outran the Gamecock's defense on a 60-yard burst. The Paladins only had a Hunter Townes' 29-yard field goal the rest of the day. The Gamecocks allowed Furman 302 total yards, only 102 coming in the second half.
Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward tried to simplify his group's schemes and moved to the press box from the sidelines to try and get better looks at what his opponents are doing. The moves seemed to work although they still seemed to continue to struggle against the run. The Gamecocks did manage to force a couple of fumbles, which led to South Carolina touchdowns.
Things will get a lot harder for the Gamecocks when they return to SEC play next week at No. 6 Auburn.